


It's About Blood

by unexpectedbeautifulfanfic



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2019-02-07 21:39:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12850047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unexpectedbeautifulfanfic/pseuds/unexpectedbeautifulfanfic
Summary: Spike comforts Dawn after Buffy’s death. Set during “The Gift.”





	It's About Blood

Spike lay there on the ground, defeated. Thrown, just like that. The ground had come crashing down on him at alarming speed. He’d hit the ground so hard he’d cracked it. That man, that _thing_ had tossed him aside like a rag doll. Spike groaned and attempted to move. Every cell in his body ached as he righted himself. He stood shakily. He cursed himself. 

 

_Damn you, you bloody idiot! You moron. You promised to protect her, and look what you’ve done! Left her up there with that soddin’ lunatic!_

 

He peered up, narrowing his eyes, trying to see up to the top of the tower. His stomach sunk when he saw that thing talking to Dawn. He turned, and was about to head back up when he saw Buffy flying up the stairs, her golden hair a blur. 

 

_Slayer!_

 

Almost immediately, she had reached the top, and soon after, Spike saw the Doctor fall to the ground beside him, neck broken. Spike smiled. 

 

_You did it, Buffy. Like you always do. You saved Dawn._

 

He walked back to the others, slowly, limping, knowing the worst was over.

 

\--

 

They had stood there at the foot of the tower, waiting, when a slice of light had appeared in the darkness.

“The portal.” Giles had mumbled. “It’s been opened. She couldn‘t get to Dawn in time.” Willow looked at him, alarmed. They had seen the world cracking around them. They assumed it was over.

Spike knew what that meant. Why the portal had opened.

 

_It’s about blood. It needed Dawn’s blood to open, and it needs her blood to close._

 

He gritted his teeth when he thought of what Dawn would need to do.

If they squinted, they could see Buffy and Dawn talking up there. 

 

_What the hell are they talking about?_

 

Then, Buffy had disappeared, and Spike wondered if she was on her way back down. 

 

_But why then would she have left Dawn at the top?_

 

Something wasn’t right. Spike felt it.

 

Suddenly, there was a brilliant light. He had been blinded for what seemed like minutes. The heat had been overpowering. They’d had to take cover. The portal had opened, but Buffy had closed it, it seemed. But how?

As the light faded and the dust settled, they regained their focus. 

They expected to see Buffy standing there, triumphant. Instead they saw her lifeless body on the ground, as still and immaculate as if laid on an alter for sacrifice. All at once Spike knew what had happened. 

 

_She had jumped for Dawn. Her blood for Dawn’s. No. No, no, NO! She hadn’t. She couldn’t…_

 

“No.” he burst, out, unable to help himself, “BUFFY!” He meant to run towards her, but as he tried, he felt was his legs give out beneath him. He sank to the ground, broken, cursing at his weakness, weeping shamelessly as the others stared in disbelief. Giles ran to her body. 

Dawn appeared at the bottom of the steps to the tower. Spike could smell the blood on her. He knew she was bleeding badly. He stood up, his anguish momentarily gone, his protective instinct for Dawn in full force.

 

_What has Buffy done?_

 

The others continued to stare in shock as Giles performed CPR on Buffy. Dawn ran into Spike’s arms, her voice raked with sobs. 

“She’s gone, Spike. I - I was already bleeding, it was too late….I tried to jump but she wouldn‘t let me…she j-jumped. For me, Spike! …I let her _die!_ ”

“Shh, niblet, it’s okay…shh…no you didn‘t” Spike whispered into her ear, stroking her hair, unable to take his eyes off Buffy’s lifeless body. 

_Buffy, no…GET UP!_

It seemed like an eternity until Giles turned to them, exhausted, and confirmed what they knew was already true: she was dead. Xander just stood there as if in a daze, holding Anya in his arms. Willow buried her face in Willow’s neck, crying. Giles just sat there beside her body, trying desperately to understand what had gone wrong.

Buffy was dead.

“I should…I should have been strong enough to save you." Spike mumbled to no one in particular.


End file.
